Window fly trap

ABSTRACT

A fly trap configured to contact a window surface includes a frame and a cover. The frame includes a top surface and a bottom surface. A portion of the bottom surface is configured to contact the window surface, and the frame defines an interior and an ingress for permitting flies to enter the interior from a side of the frame. The cover includes an adhesive fly capture surface configured to face the window surface and attach the cover to the top surface of the frame. The cover enclosing the interior at the top surface of the frame.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/422,262, filedMay 24, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,172,668, issued Nov. 16, 2021, whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/063,644, filed Jul.28, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,470, issued May 28, 2019, which is anational stage entry of PCT Application No. PCT/CA2009/001272, filedSep. 10, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/096,734, each of which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

This invention relates to fly traps and specifically a fly trap which ismounted on a window and allows flies to enter the trap from below orabove the trap.

BACKGROUND

The common house fly and related pests are annoying and present a healthhazard when flying around a person's food, or garbage, or when landingon a meal of exposed food to be eaten by a person. Because they havesponging mouthparts, house flies cannot bite humans. However, they havebeen demonstrated to mechanically transmit the causative agents ofdiarrhea, cholera, yaws, dysentery, and eye infections. Flies are alsoimplicated as mechanical vectors of Shigella and Salmonella, the latterbeing a pathogen responsible for food poisoning.

There are many devices available to combat flies such as a fly swatter,an adhesive fly strip and chemical spray.

U.S. Patent Application 2005/0005503, Bragg, shows a hanging fly trap inthe form of an artificial plant basket. This device must be hung out ofsight and so some effort is needed to monitor the number of flies caughtby the trap and then retrieve the trap for cleaning and replacement ofadhesive surfaces.

U.S. Patent Application 2005/0126069, Taylor and Lambert, discloses anornate household fly trap which relies upon ultraviolet light to attractthe insect and an adhesive surface to catch it. This device uses a powersource and is very complex. It is therefore expensive to manufacture andthe purchase price to a consumer is high.

There is a need for a simple, safe and visually attractive fly trap thatcan be manufactured and sold inexpensively, and does not rely uponpheromones and UV light sources for effectiveness.

SUMMARY

A fly trap configured to contact a window surface includes a frame and acover. The frame includes a top surface and a bottom surface. A portionof the bottom surface is configured to contact the window surface, andthe frame defines an interior and an ingress for permitting flies toenter the interior from a side of the frame. The cover includes anadhesive fly capture surface configured to face the window surface andattach the cover to the top surface of the frame. The cover enclosingthe interior at the top surface of the frame.

The frame can include a mid-member, the frame, cover and mid-member incombination forming two fly capture chambers, with fly ingresses intoeach capture chamber. The trap can include a first and a second wallpreventing flies from leaving the capture chamber.

The cover can be resilient and disposable. The window mounting means cancomprise at least one suction cup mounted to the mid-member forreleasably adhering to the window.

The cover can be releasably secured to the frame by at least one peg.The cover can include at least one projecting tab which can assist inremoval of the cover from the frame.

The frame can include a first wall and a second opposite wall, and afirst insect ingress on one side of the frame between the first andsecond walls and a second insect ingress opposite the first ingressbetween the first and second walls.

The side of the frame and the side of the mid member that are adjacentthe cover can have a series of projections thereon. The cover can betransparent or it can have a colour.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosedherein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top surface of one embodiment of thewindow fly trap according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of one embodiment ofthe window fly trap.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of a cover includingan attachment tab that fixes the cover to a fly trap frame.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top surface of a frame of oneembodiment of the window fly trap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention described herein is a window mounted fly trap that relieson natural light as an attractant. The invention takes advantage of twonatural habits of the fly: (1) flies are attracted to light; and, (2)over time, after landing on a window, flies tend to completely explorethe entire surface of the window. Windows are natural places for fliesto congregate because they are attracted to light being transmittedthrough the window from the opposite side. Therefore, mounting a flytrap on a window increases the chances of catching a fly. Such a windowtrap is more effective than simply relying upon random flight patternsfor catching a fly.

The invention comprises a generally rectangular frame which isreleasably mounted on a window using suction cups. This creates a flycatching chamber between the window and the cover of the trap. The twoshorter opposite and parallel ends of the frame contact the window andthereby seal the fly catching chamber on two sides against egress of afly. The two longer opposite and parallel sides of the frame arerecessed from the window. When the trap is mounted on the window withthe longer sides horizontal, this orientation permits the flies to enterinto the capture chamber from above or below as they walk about on thesurface of the window glass. The suction cups are mounted to the frameby a frame-bisecting mid-member that prevents flies passing through thetrap. On the side of the frame opposite the window, there is temporarilyfixed a resilient cover that is coated with a suitable fly catchingcontact adhesive on its inner surface. The adhesive capture surfacefaces inwardly in the direction of the window. When the fly encountersthe barrier mid-member, it will tend to fly off the window surface and,in doing so, impinge directly onto the adhesive capture surface,whereupon it will be trapped. The resilient cover is fixed to the frameat its corners by mounting pegs located on the outside corners of theframe. Once the adhesive capture surface is covered with flies, it canbe removed from the frame and hygienically disposed of. A fresh coverwith adhesive surface can be easily re-attached to the frame. When theframe is mounted to a window, it is easy for a person to view thecondition of the fly capture surface from the opposite side of thewindow.

Accordingly, this invention is directed to providing a window mountedfly trap which relies upon the natural instincts of the fly foreffectiveness. The fly trap does not rely upon the use of chemicals orartificial attractants. The trap is reusable. The trap is easy to usebecause the flies are readily trapped and can be hygienically disposedof. The fly trap is inexpensive to manufacture and therefore inexpensiveto purchase.

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of the top surface of oneembodiment of the window fly trap 10. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates atop surface 13 of a cover 12, the exterior surface of which isnon-adhesive. The top surface 13 is secured to the top surface of anunderlying frame 14 by corner pegs 16, 18, 20 and 22 that protrude abovethe frame top surface 13. The cover 12 is apertured at its corners toaccept the four frame corner pegs 16, 18, 20 and 22. The cover 12includes at its top corners a first tab 24 and a second tab 26 thatpermit easy mounting and removal of the cover without the operatorhaving to contact the underlying adhesive bottom surface of the cover 12or any flies that are attached to it.

The frame 14 is rectangular and comprises a first short side 28 and asecond short side 30 which are parallel to one another and a first longside 32 and a second long side 34 (not visible) which are also parallelto one another. The short sides 28 and 30 of the frame 14 are of greaterwidth than the two long sides 32 and 34 and are designed to contact awindow surface 36 (shown as a circle) by way of a pair of supportingmembers 38 and 40. The long sides 32 and 34 of the frame 14 (by being ofnarrower width) are recessed from the window surface a distance equal tothe height of the supporting members 38 and 40 so that fly ingress slots42 and 44 are created between the frame 14 and window 36. These slots 42and 44 permit flies to enter the trap 10 as they walk about on thesurface of the window 36.

FIG. 2 represents a perspective view of the bottom surface of theembodiment of the window fly trap 10 shown in FIG. 1. The frame 14, theparallel short sides 28 and 30, the supporting members 38 and 40 and theparallel long sides 32 and 34 of the frame are clearly visible. Thebottom surfaces 50 and 52 of the supporting members 38, 40 are linearand smooth to permit intimate contact with the window surface. The innersurface 62 of the cover 12 is covered with a suitable adhesive that iscapable of catching and holding a flying insect but is not toxic orodiferous to humans.

The top surface of the frame 14 includes a series of equally spacedprojections 68 around the frame 14, the tops of which contact theadhesive inner surface of the cover 12. Since the tops of theprojections 68 provide non-continuous contact with the inner surface 62of the cover, this permits easy removal and disposal of the cover 12.

The bottom surfaces 70 and 72 of the tabs 24 and 26 extending from theframe 14 are not adhesive so the operator can remove the cover 12 andthe pegs 16, 18, 20 and 22 without adhesive contact and withoutcontacting flies that might be trapped on the adhesive bottom surface 62of the cover 12. It is evident from FIG. 2 that once the flying insectattempts to attain flight, the low profile of the cover 12 and frame 14encourages the insect to contact the adhesive capture surface 62 of thecover 12 and become trapped.

FIG. 2 represents the view that faces the operator when she or he is onthe opposite side of the window. In this way, the operator can easilysee when the capture surface 62 of the cover 12 is congested withtrapped flies and needs to be exchanged for a fresh cover.

FIG. 2 also shows a mid-member 74 that extends between the two parallelopposite short sides 28, 30 at their mid-point and parallel to the twoparallel opposite long members 32, 34. The mid-member 74 bisects theinterior of the frame 14 and defines two insect capture chambers 60. Themid-member 74 is adapted to hold two conventional suction cups by way ofa pair of mounting collars 76 and 78 located at separate points on themid-member 74. The suction cups 75 in turn are adapted to releasablymount the frame 14 to the surface of the window 36. The bottom side 80of the mid-member 74 is of the same height as the two parallel shortsides 28, 30 so that flies are impeded from traveling from one capturechamber 60 to the other. The mid-member 74 encourages the fly to takeoff when it encounters the mid-member 74. The top side 82 of themid-member 74 also includes a series of projections 84, the tops ofwhich contact the bottom adhesive surface of the cover 12 and maintainit in place. Since only the tops of the projections 68 and 84 contactthe sticky side of the cover 12, and thereby avoid continuous contactwith the cover 12, they facilitate the operator removing the cover 12from the frame 14.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed perspective view of part of the frame 14with a corner peg 16 used to guide the cover 12 onto the top of theframe 14. Tab 24 is shown adjacent to the peg 16. The tab 24 does nothave adhesive on either side.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the top of the frame 14illustrating the four corner pegs 16, 18, 20 and 22. The first andsecond short sides 28 and 30 of the rectangular frame 14 and the firstand second long sides 32 and 34 of the rectangular frame 14 are shown.FIG. 4 also shows the first and second frame supporting members 38 and40, the first and second ingress slots 42 and 44. FIG. 4 furtherillustrates the series of upward projections 68 disposed around theperiphery of the outer top surface 66 of the frame 14 and the upwardprojections 84 at the top of the mid-member 74. FIG. 4 also illustratesthe pair of capture chambers 60 formed by the frame 14 and themid-member 74. The mid-member 74 includes first suction cup mountingcollar 76 and the second suction cup mounting collar 78.

The cover 12 may be formed from a suitable plastic sheet. The frame 14may be injection molded from a suitable thermoplastic material as asingle piece according to conventional techniques.

EXAMPLE 1 Experimental Evaluation of Prototype Window Fly Traps

Four prototype window fly traps were manufactured according to thedesign described herein. They were mounted equidistant from each otherin a horizontal line on a north-facing window measuring 2.4 m long and1.2 m high in a room measuring 3×4 m held at approximately 20° C. Theywere fitted with a clear plastic cover or resilient paper covers, allhaving adhesive capture surfaces facing toward the window glass. Thepaper covers were coloured yellow, green or white on the side facinginto the room. Placement of the four types of covers on traps wasrandomized.

House flies (number unknown) were collected in a jar from a large cagein which the flies were reared. The jar was placed in the room, andopened, allowing the flies to be released. The lights were then turnedoff, and the room was left with the door shut for 24 h. This procedurewas repeated four times, with the position of the coloured or clearcovers re-randomized for each of the four replicates. At the end of each24 h period, the number of house flies captured on the sticky surfacesof the covers facing the window adjacent to the top and bottom chambersof each trap were counted. The mean catches for each coloured or cleartrapping surface (top and bottom catches combined) were compared byANOVA followed by Tukey's LSD test (α=0.05).

In total of 161 house flies were captured, with 28, 50, 48 and 35 fliesrespectively captured in the four successive replicates. Of the totalcaptured, 75% were in the bottom chambers of the traps. The mean catches(±SE) for each colour type of cover were: yellow 15.0±4.0, green11.3±1.9, clear 8.0±3.5 and white 6.0±2.7. There was no significantdifference between the mean catches (F=1.56, P=0.25). At the end of eachreplicate there were only 1-2 flies left free in the room, unexpectedlyindicating that a large majority of the released flies were captured inthe traps.

These results clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the window fly trapfor capturing house flies inside a building. They also indicate that thecolour of the trap cover is of less significance to the flies than thelight passing through the glass that draws them to a window. Along withthe results of many other experiments not reported herein, the resultsare sufficiently promising to justify commercialization of the windowfly trap.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussedabove, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims and claims hereafterintroduced are interpreted to include all such modifications,permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their truespirit and scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fly trap configured to contact a windowsurface, the fly trap comprising: a frame comprising a top surface and abottom surface, wherein a portion of the bottom surface is configured tocontact the window surface, and wherein the frame defines an interiorand an ingress for permitting flies to enter the interior from a side ofthe frame; and a cover comprising an adhesive fly capture surfaceconfigured to face the window surface and attach the cover to the topsurface of the frame, the cover enclosing the interior at the topsurface of the frame.
 2. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the frame hasa rectangular cross-sectional shape.
 3. The fly trap of claim 2, whereinthe frame includes a first wall and a second wall each in contact withthe window surface.
 4. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the framefurther comprises a mount extending from the bottom surface and beingconfigured to detachably mount the frame to the window surface,
 5. Thefly trap of claim 4, wherein the mount comprises a suction cup.
 6. Thefly trap of claim 5, wherein the frame includes a mid-member, and thesuction cup is mounted to the mid-member.
 7. The fly trap of claim 6,wherein the mount comprises two suction cups, and the mid-memberincludes two mounting collars for holding the two suction cups.
 8. Thefly trap of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a hole, and the framecomprises a peg that fits into the hole to releasably secure the coverto the frame.
 9. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the cover comprisesfour corner holes, and the frame comprises four corner pegs that fitinto the four corner holes to releasably secure the cover to the frame.10. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises a topcover surface opposite the adhesive fly capture surface, the top coversurface being free of adhesive.
 11. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein thecover further comprises a projecting tab having a bottom surface,wherein the bottom surface of the projecting tab is free of adhesive.12. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a first wall, asecond wall opposite the first wall, a first insect ingress on one sideof the frame between the first wall and the second wall, and a secondinsect ingress opposite the first insect ingress between the first walland the second wall.
 13. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the topsurface of the frame has a series of projections configured to contactthe adhesive fly capture surface of the cover.
 14. The fly trap of claim1, wherein the frame includes a first end wall, a second end wallopposite the first end wall, a first side wall, a second side wallopposite the first side wall, and a mid-member extending from a midpointof the first end wall to a midpoint of the second end wall.
 15. The flytrap of claim 14, wherein each of the first end wall, the second endwall, the first side wall, the second side wall, and the mid-member havea series of projections in contact with the adhesive fly capturesurface.
 16. The fly trap of claim 14, wherein the first end wall, thesecond end wall, and the mid-member contact the window surface, and thefirst side wall and the second side wall are recessed from the windowsurface to form first and second insect ingresses.
 17. The fly trap ofclaim 14, wherein the cover and the frame create two chambers withingress openings from which flies walking on the window surface cannotescape except through the ingress openings, and the adhesive fly capturesurface is configured to capture flies that take off from the windowsurface.
 18. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the cover is resilient.19. The fly trap of claim 1, wherein the cover is disposable.
 20. A flytrap configured to be mounted to a window surface, the fly trapcomprising: a frame defining an interior, the frame comprising: a topsurface, a bottom surface, an end wall configured to contact the windowsurface, a side wall configured to be recessed from the window surfaceto form an ingress between the frame and the window surface forpermitting flies to enter the interior, and a mount configured todetachably mount the frame to the window surface; and a cover comprisingan adhesive fly capture surface configured to face the window surfaceand attach the cover to the top surface of the frame, the coverenclosing the interior at the top surface of the frame.